Roundelays, with a dash of Buttered Rum
by K.C.Dragonfly
Summary: "No drinkng, no sex and everyone in their rooms by 11pm ..." but where's the fun in that? Confusion runs rampant on a team ski-weekend. - AN: I managed to upload the wrong first chapter : This is fixed now, sorry guys!
1. Ski trip

**A new day, a new story :)**

**This is only going to be a short little comedy fic; it's based on an episode of Frasier (s5e14 - The Ski Lodge). I hope you enjoy it, I have been waiting to write this one for a while!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own CSI, Frasier or any of the associated characters etc etc**

**Leave a review, let me know what you think :)**

**KC x**

**x x x x**

"Gil! … Gil!" Catherine hollered, stalking him down the hall and into his office, resisting the urge to throw the folder she was carrying at his back. "Are you going deaf again or are you just ignoring me?" She huffed, slamming his door behind her. Grissom turned around at the loud bang and quirked an eyebrow.

"Huh?" He questioned ineloquently. She rolled her eyes, releasing a frustrated breath.

"Ecklie is looking for you." She enunciated in a patronising voice. "Do you need me to write that down for you?"

"I know." Grissom grumbled, blatantly ignoring her sarcasm. He was too busy rummaging on his cluttered desk for something. "It can wait."

"No, it can't." Ecklie announced from the threshold. The Supervisor looked up with a sheepish expression, idly wondering if he practised sneaking up on people without being heard. Catherine sent him a look that said 'I told you so' and made to leave, tossing her folder onto the heap already stacked on his desk. "I've been trying to call you." Conrad continued, stepping around the departing blonde.

"I've been busy." Grissom explained coolly, sliding into his seat. Ecklie sighed; he did not have the time or the energy to fight this man today.

"Have you briefed your team on the ski trip yet?" He asked, getting straight to the point.

Catherine, half way out of the door, paused; her ears pricked up.

"Ski trip?" She asked curiously.

"No, I haven't." Grissom answered as if she hadn't spoken.

"Well you need to. Tonight." Ecklie ordered, throwing something in front of him and stropping to the door. "If you're not interested we need to know. Get it done, Gil!"

Grissom rolled his eyes and went back to searching his desk but Cath's attention had been well and truly captured now.

"Ahem." She coughed loudly. "What ski trip?"

"Huh?" Grissom repeated. "Oh, they're sending us to a ski lodge in the Sierra Mountains for a long weekend. Some team-reward system." He waved a hand dismissively, finally finding the forms he was looking for. Catherine's face lit up. She picked up the leaflet Ecklie had left, her blue eyes narrowing as she scanned over it.

"Really? All inclusive?" She asked eagerly.

"Look, Cath I'm going to explain everything so..." He disregarded the conversation, walking past her and into the hallway.

"But there is a bar, right?" She trailed after him.

X x x

"Alright guys, quiet down." He cleared his throat, waiting for Nick and Warrick to put their video game away. Sara didn't tear her gaze from the book she was reading, but mumbled something in greeting.

Greg had followed them in and was giving Catherine a strange look as she hopped excitedly from one foot to the other, furiously trying to bite down on the urge to blurt something out.

"I was going to wait to talk to you about this, but Ecklie's on my back." Grissom sighed. "We've been offered a place on a long weekend event. It's kind of a reward system for good teamwork – something to do with the way we worked the Wilkerson murder case." He explained. "Now, we don't have to take it…"

"It's a ski trip!" Catherine interrupted excitedly.

"As I was saying. We don't have to go." He glowered at her, but she was too busy showing Greg the leaflet still clutched in her hand to notice. "We'd be staying at a ski lodge in the Sierra Mountains with an ex-ski champ to give us lessons. It's a three-day weekend, two weeks from now." He continued. Warrick nodded appreciatively.

"Oh, I like that."

"So, hold up a second. They are paying for us to stay in a lodge in the middle of the mountains for a whole weekend. Just us." Nick looked around uncertainly. "Why?"

"It's the Sherriff's idea." Grissom rolled his eyes. "It's meant to promote teamwork." He shook his head, a scowl on his face. "It's a blatant ploy to encourage CSIs to be politically correct for the sake of his public reputation."

"Where do I sign up?" Catherine grinned manically.

"Easy Cath, like I said we don't have to accept." Grissom interjected. "And only if everyone agrees do we go."

"What happens if we don't accept it?" Nick asked, sliding into a seat at the centre bench.

"It's already booked so it'll go to another team." Gil replied. "Days, probably."

"Screw that." Catherine snorted. "We won it."

"Yeah." Greg cheered in agreement. "I'm in!"

"No you're not." Gil clarified matter-of-factly. "CSIs only Greg."

The young man's face fell.

"What?" He slumped his shoulders miserably and dragged his feet towards the chairs. "Man, I hate you guys."

"We'll bring you back some snow." Grissom said bluntly. "They need to know tonight whether we're going; so, the rest of you need to vote on it."

"I'm in!" Catherine barked eagerly.

"Yeah, I'll have a piece of that." Warrick hummed. "I can't wait to show Cowboy here who's boss on the slopes!"

Nick shifted uncomfortably in his seat but shrugged his consent anyway, not daring to awaken Catherine's wrath.

The woman cast a glance to the couch, where the final member of their team was still seemingly engrossed in her book.

"Sara?" She called. "You in?"

"Do I have a choice?" The brunette asked, never shifting her gaze; a small smile playing on her lips. Cath squealed and practically bounced towards the couch, where she threw herself down and patted Sara's leg excitedly.

"Alright, I'll tell Ecklie." Grissom released a resigned sigh. Clearly this was not the outcome he'd been hoping for.

Catherine beamed up at him brightly.

"So, Gil." She chirruped. "Free bar, yes?"


	2. Inappropriateness

**Long chapter, since the beginning is taken straight from Early Rollout.**

**I hope you like. I should have warned you, some of this story is a little over-the-top, but that's part of the fun ;)  
Let me know what you think x**

**x x x x**

"We're mid case, why do we have to do this now?" Catherine scowled, picking something up and examining it before replacing it on the shelf.

"I have to get this evaluation in, or I'm going to get written up." Grissom sighed, gesturing to the seat in front of his desk in a direct hint to get started. She rolled her eyes. It was typical of Gil to leave them to the last minute.

"Okay." She frowned thoughtfully. "My goals."

He tapped his pen impatiently, waiting for her to make her mind up. Suddenly she whirled around, pointing a finger at him.

"Oh, alright, okay." She dropped into the chair and sat forward eagerly. "For starters, I'd like two consecutive nights off. I would like to cut my triples down to ten a year instead of the usual twenty, and, uh," she groaned, throwing her hands up. "I would love to find a reliable baby-sitter, so I could have myself some kind of a personal life."

Without looking up from the notes he was scribbling, Gil raised an eyebrow.

"You don't have a personal life?" He queried. She quirked an eyebrow.

"I … write this down: I haven't had sex in six – no – seven months!"

He dropped his pen and looked at her, somewhat perplexed.

"How can I help?" He sighed eventually. Catherine's jaw dropped, her blue eyes widening impossibly. "You. Advance, I mean." He babbled in clarification. She continued to stare at him suspiciously as he attempted to extract the foot from his mouth.

She could tell him how he could really help her. She could ask him to give her a night off in a hotel with an attractive man and a bottle of champagne. But she held her tongue. For now.

X x x

"Warrick?" Sara called, swinging into the locker room. She heard a grunt that could have been a response emanate from the showers and slithered around the ajar door, blinking against the steam. "Rick?"

"Damn it!"

"Oh God, sorry!" She whirled around, a shocked smile dancing on her lips as Warrick tried to gather his towel around his waist.

"Damn, girl." He gasped, making himself somewhat decent while simultaneously snatching his boxers from the bench.

"The door was open," she explained weakly, keeping her back to him. "I called; I … I wanted to talk to you."

"Alright, well you found me." He mumbled, tugging his jeans on as hurriedly as he could. "What's up?"

"I wanted your opinion on something." She said cryptically. He walked back into the locker room, touching her arm lightly to guide her with him.

"Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?" He asked, rooting through his locker for a clean shirt. She laughed nervously, toying with a loose thread on her sleeve.

"Okay." She pursed her lips. "This ski weekend … it's away from work, a chance to just hang out with friends without it being professional, right?"

"Right." He agreed sceptically, raising an eyebrow at her.

"So, the normal rules that apply at work don't count?" What had meant to be a statement had come out as more of a hopeful question. He chuckled softly, finally seeing where she was going with this.

"Sara, whatever's going through that pretty little head of your – don't."

"What?" She asked innocently.

"Colleagues are still colleagues, even outside of work." He pointed out, running his hands through his damp hair in exchange for combing it. "Anything you do with them away from work is only going to cause trouble."

"Who said anything about a colleague?" Sara asked, trying to disguise the telltale blush tinting her cheeks. He gave her a meaningful look.

"Come on girl, why you trying to play me?" He laughed. "Trust me, whatever you're thinking about doing – and whoever you want to do it with – don't do it."

He placed a firm hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently before releasing her.

She watched him disappear into the hallway with the resigned look of someone who knew he was right. With a weak groan, she dropped onto the bench and frowned.

X x x

"Hey Sara," Nick queried as casually as he could, "What do you think the layouts going to be at this ski lodge?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, sending him a brief glance across the room before flicking her gaze back to the computer screen.

"Like, the bedroom situation." He clarified, shifting uncomfortably.

"Grissom said it's single rooms." She answered. "Why?"

"Just wondering." He shrugged, trying to sound blasé. "'Cause I was just thinking, if we're all in this confined space together, all weekend, things could get … you know…"

Sara looked up, scrutinising him. Realising his error, he tried to correct himself without arousing more suspicion but his words all came out wrong;

"I know we're away from work and everything so the normal rules don't apply, but…"

"Exactly!" Sara agreed a little too readily, making him jump. "I mean, we're away from work so it doesn't count – right?" She added, softening her voice.

"Right." He agreed. He wasn't sure what 'it' was, but if it was the same thing he was thinking about then he liked where this was going. Had Sara been thinking about this too? Is that why she'd asked Grissom about the sleeping arrangements.

"But," she continued, breaking his train of thought. "We still have to come back and work together afterwards."

"Yeah." He hummed. "But hey, we're all adults right? So, whatever happens or doesn't happen; I'm sure we can be grown up and deal with it."

They shared a long look across the room as each tried to read the other; a moment which was promptly broken by Greg swaggering in with a results sheet in his hands.

"I don't mean to brag, but I've solved it for you." He grinned. "Again."

Nick and Sara shared a bashful smile before turning their attention to the lab rat and his results.

X x x

She had taken Nick and Warricks' comments on board and ultimately decided to ignore them both. If her nerve would hold out on her, that is.

She was so focussed on what she was doing that she never heard the door open, or the soft footsteps approach until a husky voice appeared inches from her ear.

"What are you doing?" Sara jumped, clasping her hands over the note in her lap. "What you got there?" Cath asked seductively, leaning closer.

"Nothing." Sara leapt to her feet, the piece of paper she'd been writing on disappearing behind her back. Her wide, startled eyes belayed her obvious panic at being caught.

"I saw my name." Catherine said with a suspicious half-smile. "It's for me?"

"No." Sara shifted her gaze to the side, trying to think on the spot. Her mind was void of suitable explanations.

"Then it's about me?" The blonde continued, stepping closer. Sara backed up as far as she could, but the lockers prevented her escape. "Let me see it." Cath requested.

"I can't." Sara squirmed under her gaze.

"It's about me, I want to see it." Catherine's hand shot out playfully to grab it, but Sara flitted around the bench. She nearly got away when a strong hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her to a halt. Sara only had one place to hide the note, so she tucked it under her jeans waistband.

Catherine just raised an eyebrow.

"You think I won't go in there?" She inquired calmly. Sara's expression faltered and she took a distinctive step back.

"You're bluffing." She challenged hopefully.

Never one to resist a dare, Catherine stepped towards her, a devilish smile playing on her lips.

"Sara, come here." She coaxed. Before Sara could put enough distance between them, Cath's hand darted out again and she grabbed the younger woman's belt loop, dragging her closer.

"Cat…" She squeaked disbelievingly, attempting to pull away. Without warning, Catherine's free hand disappeared inside her waistband. "Cat!" She yelped. "What the hell!"

Her back hit the locker and her wrist was suddenly and firmly pinned above her head.

Nick and Greg, en route to the break room, paused in the doorway, watching the scene with a mix of arousal and bemusement. The brunette was furiously trying to free herself from Catherine's manhandling, with little success due to her immobilised position.

"Just give it up, woman!" Cath barked.

"Get your hands off me, you crazy person!" Sara retorted, squirming fiercely.

Nick cleared his throat, stepping into the room.

"Would you ladies like some privacy?" He asked in an amused voice. Catherine turned awkwardly over her shoulder towards them.

"Kinda busy, Nicky." She pointed out, somewhat redundantly. Sara used her moment of distraction to free herself, instantly putting the whole room between them.

Greg was staring at them with wide eyes and a gleeful grin, practically drooling.

"What the hell's going on?" Nick asked, giving Sara a once over. She looked shocked, but unharmed. "What were you doing to her?"

"She's hiding something." Cath scowled, narrowing her eyes at Sara, who pursed her lips anxiously.

"In her pants?" Nick clarified, eliciting a snort from Greg beside him.

"Uh hum." Grissom's cleared his throat, stepping into the crowded room behind Sara. He'd caught the tail end of their conversation but decided he'd rather not know. "Sara, I need you." He said, giving the other people in the room a shifty look. The women were both flushed and Greg looked like he was about to have an aneurism.

"Yep." The girl agreed instantly, sliding past him into the hall, where she was free to scuttle off. She stealthily slipped something into her pocket as she went, which did not go unnoticed by the blonde. She'd nearly had it, too.

She turned, smiling coyly at the two men who continued to gawp at her in shock.

"What?" She shrugged.

X x x

"Cath actually had her hand down Sara's pants?" Warrick repeated with a disbelieving frown.

"Yeah." Nick said, baffled. "She was groping her right there in the locker room."

Greg stirred his coffee lazily, a dreamy grin on his face. "It was beautiful." He crooned until Nick smacked him on the arm. "Hey, you guys have got your ski trip. Let me have this please." He begged, gathering his caffeine fix and stropping to the door.

"Did Cath say what she was looking for?" Warrick asked once he'd gone, joining Nick at the centre bench.

"Some note or something." Nick shrugged.

"A note." Warrick hummed. He started to laugh softly, earning him an odd look from the Texan. "Sidle, you sneaky devil." He suspected he knew exactly what was on that piece of paper and why she didn't want Catherine to see it.

"What?" Nick asked, puzzled.

"Sara came to me earlier, asking about whether it's okay to 'break the rules' on this ski trip." Nick silently flashed back to his own conversation with the brunette and his cheeks flushed involuntarily. "I told her no, but she must have decided to risk it and send her crush a letter." Rick continued obliviously.

"Her crush?" Nick repeated, swallowing. "Catherine?" Warrick laughed.

"No, Einstein." He mocked, pointing across the hall. Nick followed his line of sight to where Grissom was chatting to a lab tech.

"You don't know that." The Texan shifted uncomfortably, his gaze remaining fixed to the back of Grissom's head. "And besides, why would she hide it from Catherine?"

"Because she knows what Catherine will say." Warrick rolled his eyes. "The same thing I said to her and the same thing I'm saying to you: don't go there."

"Me?" Nick feigned innocence.

"Yes you." Warrick snapped. "I can read your mind, Cowboy. You don't want to open that can of worms; and your number one reason is standing right across the hall."


	3. Adjoining rooms

**Later than expected, but it's up :) Thank you to all those who've review so far :)**

**I've tried to describe the layout as best I can without making it complicated, but if you want a better idea I'd recommend finding a video or picture of the Frasier ep 'The Ski Lodge', which is what this stories based on :)**

**x x x x**

Grissom stroked his tarantula's furry back affectionately.

"This doesn't look like paperwork." Ecklie sighed, wandering into the room.

"I'm packing." Grissom answered absently.

"You're meant to be clearing the decks before your ski weekend." The boss pointed out, ensuring to keep a safe distance between himself and the arachnid. "I've already had to rearrange the rota to cover your entire team for three days."

"I'll take care of it." Gil discarded his concern. "You're scaring my spider."

"I hope he's not going with you." Conrad scrunched his nose up.

"He's not." Grissom assured him. "He'd get travelsick."

Ecklie couldn't quite tell whether that was a joke or whether the entomologist was actually serious about the sensitive stomachs of small insects. He decided he'd rather not know, so changed the subject.

"This is a reward." He said. "But it is not an excuse to break the rules."

"We'll be on our best behaviour." Gil assured him with a small smile. "Scouts honour."

"By rules, I mean no drinking, no sex!" Ecklie continued sternly. "And I want everyone in their own room by 11pm sharp."

Grissom rolled his eyes.

"I think my team can control themselves." He said with a raised eyebrow. "They're not animals."

"Good." He turned to leave but paused, narrowing his eyes at Grissom from the threshold. "You were never in the scouts."

Grissom smiled at him wordlessly.

"11pm!" Ecklie reiterated on his way out. "No exceptions."

"What's at 11pm?" Catherine asked as they crossed paths in the doorway.

"Nothing." Gil shook his head, disregarding the previous conversation entirely. "What's up?"

"Everyone's here." She gestured towards the parking lot. "Nick and Sara are loading the bags into his truck."

"Good." He nodded bluntly, letting his pet crawl back into his tank. "Tell them I'll be out in a few minutes." Catherine nodded, skipping back out excitedly.

Grissom had already made sure there was enough food in the tank to last. Bidding a quiet farewell to the bug, he grabbed his own case from behind his desk and switched the light off.

Despite some early reservations, he had come around to the idea. He had no interest in skiing, but the prospect of spending a weekend in a remote cabin with his colleagues – away from work – was beginning to look more tempting. One colleague, in particular, had been playing on his mind in the last couple of weeks.

Briefly, Ecklie's strict words flittered through his head but he brushed them aside.

X x x

"Man, I needed that!" Warrick said after his back made a distinctive crack. They'd been driving for two hours without a break and the tall man had seized up. Once his muscles had loosened up again, he grabbed Sara and headed towards the vending machines in the entrance to the service station.

Grissom was busy adjusting the seats of the car before he took over driving the rest of the way and Nick was leaning against the bumper, watching his colleagues from across the parking lot with a sullen frown.

"What's wrong Nicky?" Catherine asked, slinking up to his side.

"Nothing." He pouted, narrowing his eyes at Sara and Warrick.

"Come on, you've been against this trip since the start. What's going on?" She was only vocalising what the others had been wondering, but he still refused to answer. "You want me to guess?" She asked playfully, nudging him in the shoulder. Her soft smile started to break him and he sighed.

"It's just ... I'm not sure it's a good idea for us all to be in such close quarters all weekend." He tried to deflect the question.

"Why?" The blonde asked, scrunching up her nose.

"Because."

"That's not a reason." She poked him. He sighed, turning to face her.

"Alright, but this is just between us." He bargained, waiting for her to nod her assurance before continuing. "There's one person I really don't want to be trapped with all weekend."

"Who?" She asked, puzzled. He jerked his head in the general direction of Warrick and Sara, who were sharing a laugh about something as they made their way back across the parking lot.

"Sara?" Cath guessed. "Why not?" As far as she knew they were best friends.

"Because ... just because, alright." Nick shook his head, suddenly regretting even bringing it up. "Look, just forget I said anything." But it was too late for that. A secretive smirk grew on Catherine's face.

"You like her." She teased.

"Shut up." He hushed, grabbing her arm and guiding her away from the car, all the while casting fervent glances over his shoulder.

"She can't hear us." Cath assured him softly. "How long?"

"I don't know. Recently." He sighed again. "It kinda snuck up on me."

"Oh Nicky." She placed a gentle hand on his arm, giving him a sympathetic look. "You want my advice? Don't go there."

"Why not?" He frowned. He was starting to get fed up of hearing that. Realising how that had sounded, Cath backtracked.

"Hey, don't get me wrong; Sara's a great girl." She explained. "And normally I'd say go for it. But, you guys are colleagues and friends. If it all goes wrong, you've got too much to lose."

He released a breath, quirking an eyebrow in acknowledgement of her statement.

"How serious is this? Are you in love with her?" Catherine continued.

"No." He barked, a little too suddenly. Cath half-smiled.

"Then you'll be fine." She promised. "I've had crushes on colleagues before – they always go away."

Nicky flicked his sad eyes up to her, scanning her face.

"I guess you're right." He conceded eventually.

"Of course I am." She grinned proudly. "Just, stay away from her. I don't want to see either of you get your hearts broken."

"Guys!" Warrick hollered out of the window. "We going or what?"

They turned in unison, realising that everyone was waiting for them. As they made their way over, Nick turned to Catherine with a sly smile.

"So, have you had a crush on me?" He asked sweetly. She laughed, shaking her head.

"Oh no, we're not going there."

X x x

Warrick whistled, letting his green eyes scan over the room.

The entrance to the lodge led straight into the living room, where a wood-burning fire was already heating the room in preparation for their arrival.

"Man, check this place out!" Nick agreed, shuffling past him to put the cooler he was carrying down on the table.

"Six bedrooms." Warrick noted. "So, I guess our ski-instructor will be staying too."

The bedrooms in question were arranged in a semi-circle around a small flight of stairs.

"Thank God." Nick breathed, drawing the dark-skinned man's attention back. Grissom had followed them in and was giving Nick a disapproving look as the Texan examined two bottles of rum. "The way you were taking those turns, I thought these were going to get broken."

"Yeah, poor Sara kept getting thrown up against you." Warrick added teasingly, earning him a scowl from both Grissom and Nick.

"Ecklie was very specific, no drinking." Grissom said sternly, ignoring Warrick's comment.

"Ecklie's not here is he?" Nick grinned cheekily. "I'm going to make you all my daddy's buttered rum. Nothing like it to keep the cold away."

As he carefully replaced the bottles in their cooler, the women stumbled in laden with bags.

"It's alright guys, we got them." Catherine huffed testily. Warrick and Nick instantly moved to relieve them of the weights.

"Hey Sara, which room do you want?" Nick asked, slinging her bag over his shoulder with ease and gathering his own up.

"I live opposite a crack house." She pointed out with a half smile. "Any with a better view than that will do me fine."

He grinned, opting to give her the one with a view over a frozen lake. Naturally, he picked the one next to that which put him at the top of the stairs, right in the middle of the semi-circle.

"I'll take the one next to Nick." Cath slumped onto a firm leather couch, stretching her legs out stiffly.

Warrick gathered her bag and dropped it into her room. He would have taken the one next to her, at the bottom of the stairs, but evidence suggested their invisible ski-instructor had already laid claim to it, and since Grissom had darted into the one on the other side of Sara's, Warrick was left with the one closest to the kitchen.

That might not be a bad thing, he realised as he hurled himself into it with his case.

X x x

As all the men disappeared into bedrooms, Sara decided to use the opportunity to her advantage. She placed herself carefully on the arm of the sofa, not too close to cause distraction.

"Cath," she called softly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." The blonde grunted, kicking her shoes off.

"About relationships…" Sara posed tentatively. Catherine turned to her with a perplexed look.

"You too? What's wrong with everyone?" She asked, startling the brunette. "Is this whole weekend going to be about sex?"

Sara frowned, offset by the question. As Catherine had been speaking, the kitchen door had opened and a sexy French voice piped up, startling both women.

"'Allo." They turned, met with the coy smile of a tall, dark and decidedly well-toned man in an apron.

"Hello." Catherine drawled, instantly pushing herself to her feet.

"I am Gee, your instructor." The man introduced himself, taking her offered hand.

"Catherine." She grinned, practically swooning.

"Sara." The brunette smiled, almost amused by her friend's sudden change in mood.

"I will also be your chef tonight." The Frenchman continued, gesturing to his attire. "You need to eat well; I am going to work you very hard tomorrow."

Catherine seemed almost to be struggling with the effort of standing up as she giggled like a school-girl at his comment. As soon as he disappeared back into the kitchen, she whirled on Sara with flushed cheeks.

"Dibs on the Frenchman."

Sara laughed, waving a disregarding hand towards him.

"Help yourself." She sighed, disguising her disappointment behind amusement.

The boys emerged, chattering amongst themselves.

"Did you guys know all these rooms have adjoining doors?" Nick asked. "You can walk right through from one side to the other without entering the hallway."

"That could be fun." Sara joked, raising her eyebrows mischievously.

Everyone in the room laughed, although a few not-so-good natured thoughts were beginning to implant themselves in the CSIs' minds.


	4. No harm done

**I'm not completely happy with this chapter but I wanted to get it posted asap. I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think. **

**The next chapter is the main one of the story :) x**

**x x x x**

A gust of cold air and drifts of snow blew into the lodge with them as they fell through the doors.

"How'd a beach girl get so good at skiing?" Warrick huffed, limping towards the couch.

"I have my secrets." Sara teased, shrugging her jacket off.

"I need heat." Catherine sulked, stalking past her towards the fireplace and leaving a trail of melting snow behind her.

"Maybe if you'd stayed off your ass more you wouldn't be so cold." Nick joked, hobbling past the women to join Warrick on the couch.

While the other men were somewhat worse for wear, Grissom remained unscathed as he shuffled in and stripped off his thick coat. He, unlike the more daring of his team, hadn't gone near a ski all day.

"You are a competitive team." Gee commented, latching the door behind them.

"Yeah, speaking of…" Nick rose his eyes at Warrick pointedly.

"Yeah, yeah." Rick waved a disregarding hand at his mate. "You won the bet, I'll get you your money when my feet defrost."

Oblivious to the guys' bickering, Catherine had huddled herself in front of the fire and was shivering profusely. Sara snatched a blanket off the back of the couch and draped it around her shoulders wordlessly. Gee eyed the movement with a knowing smile before turning his attention back to the guys.

"You ski very well." He said, making it clear with his sweet smile who the statement was directed at.

"I did a little snowboarding when I was in college." Nick shrugged with false modesty.

"You went to college in Texas." Grissom frowned.

"What, you never hear of spring break?" The younger man drawled teasingly, sinking back into the couch cushions.

"Nah, I bet Grissom's more of a summer camp man." Warrick mocked playfully. Gil sent him a look that clearly said he wasn't planning on dignifying the comment with an answer.

"So, when are we going to get a taste of this infamous drink of yours?" Sara asked, tucking her legs beneath her as she settled into a chair.

"As soon as the feeling returns to my feet." Nick answered tiredly.

"Why don't I get it started for you?" Gee, ever the livewire, offered gallantly.

He had taken to the Texan instantly.

Yesterday, when the boys had emerged from the bedrooms and he'd come out of the kitchen to introduce himself, he'd known as soon as he heard that smooth southern drawl that they would hit it off.

Nick had a firm handshake and a nice smile. Good teeth.

And a lot of other things to boot.

X x x

Catherine sighed contentedly as she watched Gee tinker with the fireplace, rekindling the dying embers.

"You must have the magic touch." She grinned coyly. "You're handy, a chef, a ski champ. Is there anything you don't do?"

"There are a few things." He nodded, absently casting his gaze across the room; where Sara was perched on the arm of the sofa, leaning against Nick's shoulder as they chatted amicably.

"So, Miss surfing-skiing California girl." The Texan smiled up at her. "What else have you been hiding from us?"

"That's cheating." She pointed out light-heartedly. "You have to find out for yourself."

"Alright." He sat up straight, accepting the challenge. "I already know you're into motors. So, what was your first car as a teenager?"

To his surprise she shook her head.

"Not car. Bike." She explained. "I didn't own a car until I was 25."

"25!" He repeated. "Man. My first set of wheels was a silver Plymouth Valiant." He smiled reminiscently. "It was a clapped out old bomb – my grandfathers. But I loved it."

"A valiant huh?" Sara hummed mischievously. "I bet you got real lucky in that."

Before he could begin to form an answer to her taunt, Sara felt a hard smack against her back and found herself forcibly dragged off the couch by her clothes.

"Come on, we need to change." Catherine barked, marching her towards the bedrooms.

Nick watched them go over his shoulder with a perplexed expression. Emitting a disappointed sigh he faced forwards and sank back into the cushions. In doing so, he nearly jumped out of his skin: Gee had materialised beside him, one elbow propped up against the back of the couch mere inches from Nick's head.

"'Allo." The man greeted with a charming grin.

"Hi." Nick nodded, regaining his composure.

"You're friend Catherine, she did not like the way Sara was flirting with you." Gee pointed out, earning him an intrigued look from Nick.

"No, she didn't did she?"

"In fact she dragged her right off to her bedroom." He continued, a sly grin making its way onto his lips as he spoke.

"I think I know what that means." The corners of Nick's mouth began to twitch into a smile. There was a muted giggle from the direction the girls had vanished in.

"I think we both know." Gee said with amusement, offering a casual shrug. "Catherine was jealous."

"She was jealous." Nick agreed eagerly, swivelling in his seat to face the man. "Damn."

"I am surprised by nothing." The skier droned, stretching his arms across the back of the sofa. One hand barely grazed the back of Nick's neck, but the Texan was too psyched to even notice it. His mind was working a mile a minute, analysing the last couple of days for other clues he'd missed.

X x x

"Do you think it's supposed to be doing this?" Grissom asked, eyeing Nick's mixture with suspicion.

"I don't know." Warrick peered over his shoulder, gently stirring it to ease some of the exuberant bubbling. Grissom sent his colleague a sideways glance.

"What's going on with Nick?" He asked. "He's been acting weird for days."

"Oh, ignore him." Warrick muttered, ambling to the door to spy on his colleague as he chatted with Gee on the couch. "He's lovesick."

"Really?" Gil asked, quirking an eyebrow curiously.

"I've told him not to go there, but I think it went in one ear and out the other!" The dark-skinned man rambled. "I told him, it'll all end in tears but does he listen?"

"Apparently not." Grissom assumed, not really following the conversation. He never knew Warrick took such a vested interest in his friend's love life.

"I mean, if you have to fish off the company pier, at least cast your net far enough that it won't cause repercussions when it all goes belly up." He continued to rant.

Had Grissom actually heard his last comment, he would have probably queried the statement. As it was, the combination of his hearing fading on him and the boiling of the rum meant he missed it entirely.

Oblivious to his boss' hearing problem, Rick continued. "Now, Alicia from days – she's the sort of tall drink of water I could really go for!"

He pushed himself off the doorframe and wandered across the room. Grissom, having only caught the tail end of his sentence, retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge and turned to give it to his companion.

"Here you go – oh." He blinked at the Texan, who had suddenly taken Warrick's place in the doorway.

"Oh, thanks." Nick frowned at the offering. "But I actually came in for the rum."

"It's boiling." Grissom pointed out, somewhat needlessly given the noise it was making.

"That's because it's nearly done." Nick grinned, dipping a finger tentatively into the mixture to taste it.

Deciding to freshen up before they had drinks, Grissom departed to his bedroom, leaving the younger men alone.

"So, when are we going to get to sample this magic potion of yours?" Warrick asked, breaking the silence. Ignoring the question, Nick turned to his mate brimming with excitement. "Sara wants me!" He blurted out.

"What?" Warrick stammered, taken aback by the outburst.

"She was flirting with me and Catherine got pissed and dragged her off to her room." Nicky explained gleefully.

"Come on." Warrick scoffed. "Sara's always flirting with you, that doesn't mean anything."

"Yeah, but you said she talked to you about 'breaking the rules'." He pointed out. "And why would Cath want to get her away from me?"

"Maybe she's got a thing for Sara." Warrick joked. When Nick didn't laugh, he rolled his eyes and continued in a serious tone. "Wake up Cowboy, Sara's got it bad for Grissom."

Nick waved a hand at the comment absently, taking no notice. "You just wait." He promised.

"Next thing you'll be saying Gee's after you." Warrick muttered.

As if summoned by his name, Gee poked his head into the room.

"Do you need a hand with the drinks?" He asked.

"Yeah actually," Nick returned his polite smile. "Could you get the girls and tell them it's ready?"

Gee grinned, practically curtseying out of the room as he purred; "At your service."

X x x

"Alright! Buttered rum all round!" A proud Texan voice announced.

"Are you going to tell us what's actually in this stuff?" Sara asked, helping herself to a mug from the tray.

"Uh huh. Family secret." He grinned.

"It's thick." Catherine noted, swilling it around her cup.

"Yeah! It's cold in the mountains – you need a little fat in your booze!" Once everyone had a drink in hand, Nick raised his own. "To team spirit." He toasted.

X x x

"How do you like your rum?" Gee asked.

"Strong." Warrick gasped, swallowing hard as the liquid crawled down his throat. They were stood by the fire, out of earshot of the rest of the group so Gee decided to take a chance.

"I think perhaps it has clouded my judgment about something." He said. "Is it my imagination or is Nick attracted to…"

"It's not your imagination." Warrick cut in, taking another sip. "He's got it bad."

"Really." Gee's lips spread into a grin.

"Aw, look." Nick's voice drew everyone's attention to the window. "There's two deer in the snow just kinda nuzzling each other."

"Cute. It's enough to put ideas in one's head." Catherine joked, sending a sly look across the room towards a certain Frenchman. He was too busy to notice, however, due to Nick's ass perfectly blocking his view of the window.

Nick turned, a sheepish grin on his face as he nursed his mug between his hands.

"You know, the first time my daddy made this it was the night he proposed to my mom." He explained warmly. "He'd already lost his nerve twice before and didn't want to risk it a third time."

"As we grow older, it's not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do." Grissom quoted softly. "That's why God created tomorrows for us to make things up."

"Wise words." Catherine hummed.

"It's never too late to take a chance on love; and not give a damn what the world thinks." Gee added his sentiments, turning towards the blonde slightly and nudging her shoulder. "Right, Miss Willows?"

"Quite." She cleared her throat, taking a deliberately long sip of her drink to cover her growing blush.

They lapsed into a contemplative silence, which was finally broken by the trilling of Grissom's cell phone. He glanced at his watch.

"10:50." He noted, answering. "Why Conrad, you're right on cue." The rest of the CSIs rolled their eyes amid a chorus of disgruntled snorts and chortles from the room.

"How do you have signal out here?" Catherine whined, prising her own phone from her pocket. "I don't have signal."

Ignoring her, Grissom pointed towards the bedrooms. "Yes, we were just on our way now when you called." He lied. He could practically see the disbelieving look on Ecklie's face.

Taking the hint, the team downed the last of their drinks and drifted off towards the stairs, uttering goodnights as they went.

Grissom hung up and he and Nick switched off the lights before heading to bed themselves. They caught a glimpse of the women heading into their rooms. The wrong rooms. Nick gestured between the two closed doors with a confused frown.

"I thought…"

"They must have switched." Grissom shrugged.

X x x

Catherine looked around the room, her vision slightly skewed from the rum, before noting that the bag at the foot of the bed did not belong to her.

As she wandered back into the hall, Sara emerged opposite her wearing a matching sheepish grin.

"I think we got that wrong." The brunette joked.

"No harm done." Cath added, waving goodnight as they crossed paths en route to the right rooms.


	5. Rooms

**Okay, this is what we've been building to! I hope you all understand it haha! Let me know what you think x**

**x x x x**

Nick rapped his knuckles lightly on the door to the left side of his room. Receiving no answer, he snuck through anyway into the adjoining room. No one was in the bedroom but the bathroom door was shut.

"Sara?" His voice caught, stifling the sound. He cleared his throat, trying again. "I know this is not the way to do this and I know it's wrong but I can't stop thinking about you." He rushed out. "I think I love you!" There was a shuffle on the other side of the bathroom door and his heart leapt instantly to his throat, when suddenly something caught his gaze on the bed. The dress.

Catherine's dress.

His looked around himself panicked, like a deer in the headlights. He was in the wrong room! The bathroom door unlocked, not giving him nearly enough time to go back the way he'd come. There were two other doors closer to him – one into the hall and one into the next bedroom. He reached for the nearest and threw himself through it before Catherine emerged half-dressed from the bathroom.

X x x

Gee jumped as Nick Stokes stumbled through his door, his face flustered and pink.

"Nick." He frowned, a playful smile on his lips as he pushed himself off the bed.

"Hey, Gee. I'm sorry man." The Texan breathed. Gee held his hands up, letting him know it was fine. "I went to the wrong room; I think I just told Catherine I love her by mistake!"

"The wrong room?" Gee stepped towards him. "You were looking for …"

Before he could finish the sentence, there was a knock from the room next door. Nick froze, his brown eyes wide. Gee gestured for him to hide around the corner out of sight before opening the door.

Nick couldn't see Catherine, but he could guess from her sultry voice and Gee's startled expression that she had changed her clothes.

"Miss Willows, is your room not satisfactory?" The skier asked politely.

"No, no. it's fine." She crooned, stepping into the room. "I just couldn't sleep. I was wondering if you wanted to have a drink or something before bed?" She almost appeared to be scanning the room for something – if he was the suspicious type, Gee would think she had ulterior motives for coming in here.

Nick bit his tongue. He was in the clear with Catherine, but he was still trapped. He heard Gee trying to make an excuse, but Catherine stepped closer, backing the poor man against his bedpost. Nick chanced a glance up and, silently relieved that she had her back to him, tiptoed towards the nearest door.

Gee subtly tried to gesture for him to stay, but Nick misread the signal and waved gratefully, slinking into the hall.

It was dark on the stairs, but he could just about find his way up to his room using the railing. He finally released the breath he'd been holding; he was safe!

Until something moved in front of him.

X x x

Sara paced in her room for a good five minutes before making an executive decision. She was going to do it. She snatched the note from her bed before she could change her mind. If it backfired, she could blame it on the romantic setting. Or the rum.

She slipped into the hallway, which was blissfully dark. Maybe if she lurked in the shadows long enough her blush might go away.

Creeping across the hall, doing her damndest to avoid the creaky floorboards, she finally reached the room she was after. She crouched down; intent on slipping the note under the door, when something lurched out of the dark towards her.

X x x

Nick fell against the wall, winded from the sharp kick to his gut.

"It's me!" He hissed breathlessly, catching a glance of the other person as they recoiled from the attack and slammed into the banister.

"Nick?"

"Sara." He breathed, lunging forwards to catch her by the elbow before she fell down the stairs. "What the hell are you doing up?"

"I was … I heard a noise. I was checking." She lied, pausing for a moment. He could almost hear a cocky smile spreading across her lips. "Did I scare you?"

"No." He straightened up, puffing his chest out. "You're lucky I didn't hurt you."

"You couldn't hurt me, tough guy." She mocked teasingly. He heard movement on the other side of Gee's door and ushered her back up the steps, ignoring her taunt.

"Hey, I'm glad you're here actually." He lowered his voice. "I wanted to talk to you."

"About?" she frowned. He gripped her arm tighter, leading her towards his room.

X x x

"I hope you sleep well, Miss Willows." Gee leant around her to open the door, catching the strong scent of perfume as he brushed against her body.

"Alright, maybe I'll see you later?" She queried, finding herself walked backwards into the hall. Gee laughed nervously, mumbling something akin to an answer.

Catherine scowled at the closed door for a moment. If she didn't know better, she'd think she'd just been given the brush off.

Shaking her head, she turned to go back to her room but found herself face to face with Grissom.

"Gil?" she questioned curiously.

"Catherine." He blinked, caught in the act. "What were you doing in Gee's room?"

"Just saying goodnight." She shrugged casually. "Where are you going?"

He glanced around, as if trying to pull an answer from the dim surroundings.

"I was just checking everyone was in bed." He said quickly. "Ecklie made it quite clear; everyone had to be in their rooms by 11."

"Hmm." She nodded, disbelieving.

"So…" He gestured awkwardly towards her room as he stumbled back into his own. She rolled her eyes at the blatant hint, but obliged all the same.

"Night Gil." She sang, letting the door swing closed behind her.

X x x

He waited a minute or two, until he was certain Catherine was in her room, before sneaking into Sara's. It was empty.

"Sara?" He asked, even though it was obvious she wasn't there.

Muffled voices from the room next door drew his attention and he crept closer, cocking his head slightly to hear what was being said.

He could just about pick out Nick's words.

X x x

"Everyone's told me this is such a bad idea and you know what; they're probably right." He began, flexing his hands nervously. "But sometimes you have to take a chance, and that's what I'm doing."

"Okay." Sara furrowed her brow at him.

"I mean, it doesn't count right?" He reasoned. He figured the longer he took getting to the point, the more time he'd have to figure out what he was going to say. "Like when people say 'what happens in Vegas…'"

"Only this time it's what happens outside Vegas." Sara finally started to catch on.

"Exactly." He grinned. "So, things that should normally be wrong, if we were in Vegas, are okay. Because it's like a vacation. It doesn't matter."

"Yeah." Sara agreed, absently toying with the note folded protectively in her hand.

Taking a deep breath, Nick decided to quit procrastinating and bite the bullet. He opened his mouth, but she cut him off before he could start.

"Will you excuse me a minute." She said, offering a nervous smile. Before he could answer she had scuttled back to her room, leaving Nick bemused as to what just happened.

"Sara?" He called weakly.

X x x

Grissom panicked when he heard Sara approach. After turning in a full circle, he stumbled out of the nearest door, resulting in him landing inelegantly back in the hallway.

Catherine, halfway out of her room, blinked at him.

"Gil." She said suspiciously.

"I was …" he frowned, struggling to think of an excuse. When he didn't finish the sentence, Cath stepped towards him and he took a deliberate step back. She pointed at Sara's door, which he was currently blocking.

"I'm going in there." She explained, finally getting him to move. He slid to the side, letting her pass. To his surprise she didn't even knock, opting instead to wander straight in uninvited.

X x x

Sara had to do a double take. Catherine was stood in the middle of her room with her hands on her hips; her gown hanging open revealing a very sexy nightdress.

"Cath?" She asked cautiously.

"What was Grissom doing in here?" The blonde asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Grissom?" Sara repeated, thrown. "He wasn't in here."

"I just saw him leave."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you." Sara shrugged. "I was in Nick's room."

"Nick?" Cath asked, flicking her gaze to the side. "What did he want?"

"Nothing, just to talk." Sara shrugged. "But I'm glad you're here because I actually wanted to talk to you."

X x x

Nick had been staring at the door in perplexity for a whole minute before impatience got the better of him and he followed her.

With a sharp knock, he strode into the adjoining room.

"Sara I … oh." The two women turned to him in unison. Catherine quirked an eyebrow at him distrustfully.

"Nicky?" She asked in an all-too familiar warning tone. "Did you want something?"

"Yeah actually." He cleared his throat, trying to sound firm. "I want to talk to Sara. And I know what you're going to say;" he held up his hands defensively. "But I know what I'm doing."

"What's going on?" Sara frowned.

"Sara, I need to tell you something." He turned to her earnestly.

X x x

Grissom sloped back to his room after Catherine had left. He could hear the women talking in the next room. He dropped his head, taking a few deep breaths. Nick had beaten him to the punch with Sara and Catherine was onto him.

An idea struck him: he daren't face off with Catherine, but he could still talk to Nick.

Gathering his strength, he slipped back into the hall where, thankfully, there was no sign of the blonde this time. He raised his hand to knock on Nick's door but decided to pull a Catherine instead and walked in unannounced.

X x x

"Bon soir." A soft voice floated towards him, followed by the distinctive sound of a cork popping.

"Gee." Grissom blinked, taken aback. The naked Frenchman was sprawled in Nick's bed with a bottle of champagne.

"You are not the CSI I want." He said, panicked.

"You're not even the sex I want." Grissom retorted, a frown marring his features.

"Where is Nick?" Gee asked, holding the covers against himself protectively.

Grissom leant towards the door to Sara's room and called Nick's name, never tearing his eyes from the other man.

A moment later the door opened and the Texan wandered in, followed by the two women who were wearing matching expressions of confusion.

"Oh God, what are you doing in here with Gee?" Nick jumped, glowering at his boss.

"Don't be jealous Nicky, it's not what it looks like." Gee assured him. Nick nodded instinctively in response to the comment, then paused.

"What?" He barked.

"Well, you're just putting the moves on everyone tonight." Catherine piped up with a sly smirk.

"Is that what you were rambling about?" Sara asked, wide-eyed.

"No! Sara, it's not like that!" Nick pleaded, holding his hands out to the brunette.

"Nick, please don't deny it." Gee begged. "Acknowledge your true nature - stop chasing these lesbians!"

The women looked up sharply. Grissom turned to them, bemusement written across his features.

"Lesbians?" He repeated.

"Sara, I … oh my God." Nick groaned, running a hand over his face.

"Uh, no..." Catherine hummed, perplexed.

"Hey, we're all friends here." Grissom assured her jovially, earning himself a wide-eyed look.

"Can Nick and I please have some privacy?" Gee huffed. Nick sent him a dark look, his gaze flicking from one person to another. He hadn't had so many people staring at him in shock since the day his trunks fell off in the swimming pool at a frat party. He didn't know who to deal with first.

Opting to deal with the primary problem, that being the naked man in his bed, he shuffled towards Gee.

"Will you please get out of my bed!" He asked tightly. "I'm not gay Gee."

"You're friend Warrick even told me you wanted me." The ski instructor insisted.

"Warrick said I wanted _you_!" Nick gasped, making wild arm movements as his head worked through this.

As if summoned by the mention of his name, the door swung open and the threshold was filled with the half-asleep, bewildered figure of Warrick Brown.

"Hey, someone forget to tell me there was a party going on?"


	6. Moot point

**One chapter to go! Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing!**

**x x x x**

"Warrick, you're just in time." Grissom said dryly, still eyeing the rest of his team with suspicion.

"It's not what it looks like." Nick groaned, wiping a hand over his face.

"Oh, I see how it is." Warrick huffed, more awake now. "Wait 'til I go to bed and y'all have a little party."

For the first time his gaze drifted over Gee in the bed and his green eyes flew to Nick.

"Dude?"

"It's not … I'm not!" The Texan stuttered, finally pausing to taking a deep breath. "Did you tell Gee I wanted him?"

Warrick practically choked on a laugh, temporarily rendering himself unable to offer an answer to the bizarre question.

"You said you wanted me. You got the wrong room!" Gee interrupted while the dark-skinned man attempted to control himself.

"I was looking for Sara's room!" Nick exploded, earning him a startled look from both Gee and Sara.

"You were?" She squeaked. He softened his gaze and his voice, his boyish features taking on a pained look.

"Yeah. But I didn't realise that you two were…"

"Oh, we're not." Catherine jumped in, holding her hands up defensively.

Warrick, having calmed down now, fixed Sara with a curious look. Grissom followed his line of sight, quirking an eyebrow. She was staring with intense concentration at the floor, like she was trying to burn a hole in it with her eyes.

"Sara?" Gil asked softly. She looked up, her cheeks turning pink.

"You were on your way to Cath's room." Nick realised aloud. "When I ran into you in the hall."

She nodded, looking everywhere but at her colleagues. She could feel Catherine's eyes on her, wide and shocked, but daren't meet them.

"Man, does my advice not mean anything anymore?" Warrick muttered, shaking his head in disappointment at his co-workers' love-sick shenanigans.

"Sara, you weren't going to …" Gil didn't get a chance to finish the question before someone cut in.

"Like you can talk." To the surprise of everyone in the room, above all Sara, it was Catherine who jumped to the brunette's defence. "I caught you sneaking to her room twice tonight." The blonde accused, placing her hands on her hips.

Grissom opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying fruitlessly to conjure an explanation from somewhere.

"I was checking everyone was in bed." He insisted at last.

"Bull. You were going to her room. You were sneaking out of her room, in fact!"

"You were in Gee's room." Nick interjected on his boss' behalf. Catherine scowled at the young man.

"You stay out of it!" She barked. "I told you not to do anything stupid this weekend."

"So did I." Warrick added pointedly, although in keeping with recent events nobody took the slightest notice.

"I can see why now." Nick grunted, ignoring Rick. "You wanted her all to yourself.

"I did not! I was trying to keep you away from her!" Cath scoffed, shaking her head.

The room fell silent; echoes of the many confessions bouncing off the walls along with enough hormones to fill a high school prom.

"So, where's the love for me?" Warrick asked at last, genuinely wounded.

Grissom sent him a disparaging look.

"I think we should all just go back to bed." The supervisor said calmly, adding as an afterthought: "Our own beds."

Everyone started to file out quietly, all eyes glued to the floor to avoid further embarrassment. Nick handed Gee a bathrobe, ensuring to keep his gaze averted as the man climbed out of his bed and bashfully covered himself up.

X x x

Catherine tiptoed across the hall, wincing at every creak she caused.

Suddenly the lounge was illuminated, scaring the life out of her. Downstairs, curled into the corner of the couch with one hand still on the lamp, was Sara.

"Oh, Jesus woman!" Cath gasped, clutching her chest. Sara offered an apologetic smile, curling up into a tighter ball. Recovering from her shock, the older woman came down the stairs to join her on the couch. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep." Sara admitted, averting her gaze.

"What happened to in bed by 11?" Catherine teased, matching her position on the opposite end of the sofa. She was, Sara noted, still wearing the sexy nightdress from earlier.

The brunette laughed softly. "I think that's a bit of a moot point, don't you?" she gestured in the general direction of the bedrooms. Cath chuckled, her blush not quite disguised by the dim light.

"Yeah, that was … fun." She said dryly. Sara sent her a cute half smile, glad she wasn't the only one feeling jaded about the night's events. Tucking her legs beneath her, Catherine turned to the other woman with a curious expression. "What everyone was saying up there … you don't…"

"Yeah." Sara breathed, offering a weak shrug. "Although that's not exactly how I intended on you finding out."

"The note?" Cath asked, suddenly remembering their tussle in the locker room. Sara smiled, silently confirming her suspicions. "It was for me?"

"Of course." Sara bit back a laugh. "Who else?"

"Well, then why didn't you let me see it?" She managed to sound genuinely put out that the information in said note had been withheld from her.

"Because I panicked." Sara answered honestly. "My plan was to slip it under your door; then I wouldn't have to see the look of horror on your face when you read it."

Catherine swatted her arm lightly. "What did you think I was going to do to you?" She looked up at her from beneath her lashes. "You could have told me."

"What? At work?" Sara asked with a raised eyebrow. "An open-plan building with glass walls."

"Alright, I see your point." Cath hit her arm again, but this time she didn't retract her hand. "But still, I wish you'd said something sooner."

"Yeah, well." Sara shrugged bashfully, her eyes firmly fixed on the stray hand that lay on her arm. Eventually she shifted her gaze to Catherine's face. "I'm sorry about Gee." She offered weakly. Cath laughed, gesturing to her racy outfit.

"I think I misjudged that one." She acknowledged. "At least Nicky made a new friend though."

"I'm not so sure he sees it that way."

They shared a small giggle at their colleague's misfortune before lapsing into a comfortable silence.

Catherine began doodling small patterns on the back of Sara's hand. Under the lamp light, Sara's hair shimmered and her eyes looked like they were dotted with flecks of gold. She was pretty; alluring even.

Cath chewed on her lip thoughtfully. In the surprise of finding Sara awake, she'd almost forgotten the reason she'd got up in the first place. And that reason was sitting across from her now; brow was furrowed in concentration, her mind obviously elsewhere.

It wouldn't be the first time she had abandoned her scruples, or her sexuality, for a night of much-needed passion. But this plan had seemed so much easier when she wasn't looking the girl in the eye.

"You know," she purred softy, reclaiming Sara's attention. "We've already broken two rules. We could make it a hat-trick." Sara blinked at her.

"You're joking?" She asked guardedly, her expression bordering somewhere between lusty and disbelieving.

They say that actions speak louder than words; Catherine gripped her wrist, preventing her from pulling away. She leant closer and pressed a soft kiss to Sara's lips. She sucked her lower lip between her teeth, drawing a startled whimper from the younger woman's throat.

"I thought…" Sara gasped, breaking apart.

"Oh, I know what you thought Miss Sidle." Catherine smirked, pressing her body against Sara's until she was pinned against the arm of the couch. "You know what I'm thinking?"

"Apparently not." Sara gulped as the blonde began caressing her sides with an irresistibly gentle touch.

"You want it and I need it." She purred, darting her tongue out to trace Sara's earlobe. She pulled back, fixing her colleague with a sultry smile. "And who knows, this maybe the only time the offer's on the table." The brunette bit her lip nervously, glancing around them. Everyone was in bed and they were miles away from work.

Making a decision that she knew she may later regret, she grabbed Catherine's hand. However, somewhere between the couch and the bedroom, the rational part of her brain kicked in.

"Wait." She stopped abruptly in the threshold, causing Catherine to crash into her. "We shouldn't … it's against all the rules…"

Catherine snorted, stepping closer until Sara was trapped between her body and the wall. She placed a temptingly chaste kiss on her lips and repeated Sara's earlier words against her ear;

"I think that's a moot point, don't you?"


	7. Dirt

**Alright-y guys! All done :) I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! **

**For Amy, I hope this makes you feel better :) **

**x x x x**

"Got your report ready?" Warrick asked casually, stretching his long legs as much as the car would allow. Grissom tore his gaze briefly from the road to frown at his passenger.

"What report?"

"For Ecklie." Warrick elaborated. "You know he's going to want the full lowdown on this weekend the second we get back."

Grissom rolled his eyes and muttered something incomprehensible under his breath.

"Hey," Rick continued, a cheeky grin making its way across his lips. "Can I be there when you tell him about last night?"

On the back seat, things were a lot more tense.

Nick and Catherine were resolutely staring out of their respective windows, with Sara trapped between them. She kept her hands firmly pinned between her knees, her gaze fixed in much the same place.

The awkward silence was deafening.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nick caught a movement. Catherine's attention remained focussed out of the window, but her hand had snuck out and was gently caressing Sara's thigh.

He rolled his eyes. Un-freaking-believable. If Grissom decided to crash the car into a bottomless pit right now, he couldn't care less.

"So," Warrick called from the front seat, oblivious to his mate's uncomfortable predicament. "Who's up for stopping for some breakfast?"

A chorus of disgruntled voices answered in the negative. He chuckled softly, shaking his head with amusement.

"You guys are just cranky because y'all got caught sneaking around after bedtime."

X x x

After the standard stretching and groans of relief as everyone piled out of the car, the bags were hauled out of the trunk and abandoned in a heap on the ground as Grissom parked up.

Sara went to retrieve her bag from the pile, but a firm hand on her arm prevented her from doing so and she found herself pulled off to one side.

She turned in the hold, coming face to face with the sly smile of Catherine Willows.

Nick had also noticed the movement and nudged Warrick, who was muttering expletives as he dragged his case from the bottom of the pile.

"Hey, check that out." Nick hissed conspiratorially. The dark-skinned man turned, following his mate's line of sight.

Out of their earshot, Catherine pulled something out of her back pocket. Sara's eyes widened at the sight of her note.

"Where did you find that?" She asked, slightly panicked at the memory of what she had written. Although; she supposed, in light of recent events most of it probably wouldn't be a surprise to the older woman.

"I took it from the nightstand while you were sleeping." Catherine explained. Sara rolled her eyes.

"I was looking for that." She muttered. Cath's lips spread into a grin.

"Well, I'm giving it back now." She folded it carefully into Sara's hand, before placing a brief peck on her lips.

After watching her walk away, Sara looked down at the note in her hand. She opened in, scanning through the words she knew off by heart. To her surprise, scrawled delicately in blue ink was a small addition.

Where Sara had made a hopeful offer of dinner, Catherine had written the words:

_Tangiers, 7pm_

Sara smiled brightly, instantly looking up to seek out her date. The blonde was nowhere in sight, but Nick and Warrick were staring at her from across the parking lot with wide, startled eyes.

X x x

When the team finally stumbled through the front doors, there were already two people waiting to greet them.

Catherine, stalking ahead of them, had already vanished into her office and Sara made a beeline after her, leaving the men to face-off to their awaiting colleagues.

"Well, how did it go?" Ecklie asked before Grissom even made it into his office. "I trust everyone behaved themselves."

"Beggar that," Greg scoffed, turning his attention to the boys. "Give me the dirt!"

"Dirt?" Nick asked uncertainly. The young lab rat shifted his weight from one foot to the other impatiently.

"All alone in a romantic ski-lodge, cut off from the world, away from work." He listed. "You can't tell me nothing happened?"

Nick's cheeks turned beetroot, but Warrick was grinning wildly. He slung an arm around the younger man's shoulders, guiding him towards the break room.

"Put on some coffee, man." He chirped. "Have I got some dirt for you!"


End file.
